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Report on Results - Implementation of Section 41 of the Official Languages Act - 2010-2011

Summary of Major Achievements in 2010-2011

Awareness

Of special note this year, the Northern Conference entitled Justice under
the Northern Lights, Legal Aspects of Canada's Integrated Northern Strategy
was held in Yellowknife from February 22 to 24, 2011 and included a workshop on
official languages in the North. Department employees gained greater awareness
of the unique linguistic issues that arise in the territories, including the
history of Aboriginal languages.

Consultations

As part of the progress review of its 2005-2010 Action Plan for the
implementation of section 41, the Department consulted over 200 individuals
representing official language minority community organizations. The progress
review findings and proposals are being taken into account in the development of
the new Action Plan 2011-2016.

The Department's Family, Children and Youth Section organized a pan-Canadian
French-language symposium on family justice with the
Fédération des associations de juristes d'expression française de common law
and the Association internationale francophone des
intervenants auprès des familles séparées under the theme
“Évolution et révolution de la justice familiale”. New ties were
established between community stakeholders and Department officials.

Communications

Information was communicated to the communities at meetings, information
fairs, regional events and during field visits.

The Department's Justice in Official Languages Web site was completely
overhauled. The site is now more user-friendly and information is easier to
find.

This year the Department launched the Justice in Official Languages
Newsletter. The first issue was distributed to over 500 people.

Coordination and Liaison

The Department plays an active coordination and organization role within the
Security and Justice Network (Public Safety, RCMP, Public Prosecution Service of
Canada, etc.). This year the Network initiated the first phase of an
environmental scan on risk factors for delinquency among young people from
official language minority communities.

The Department delivered a presentation to the Ministerial Conference on the
Canadian Francophonie in Yellowknife on June 22 and 23, 2010. After the
conference, the representatives of Francophone matters from the provinces and
territories were invited by the Department to join, on a permanent basis, the
Federal-Provincial-Territorial Working Group on Access to Justice in Both
Official Languages. They then participated in the meeting of the
FPT group in
March 2011. The objective is to create closer ties to ensure a more unified
approach to issues of common interest.

Funding and Delivery of Programs

In 2010-2011, the Department granted $5,233,056 of funding to various
projects. It supported several projects that promoted linguistic duality. Two
major projects should be mentioned: the creation of the
Centre canadien de français juridique in Winnipeg, which provides legal
and linguistic training to bilingual stakeholders in the justice system, and the
creation of the Access to Justice in Both Official Languages Portal.

Accountability

The Department included section 41 in the Common Strategic Considerations
Reference Table created by the Policy Committee's Secretariat.

Note: Please do not hesitate to
contact us if you wish to receive a
copy of the 2010-2011 Report on Results.